Mechanical movement



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

L. F. GOBEN. MECHANICAL MOVEMENT.

- Y Inventor. 15M 7%.*

N. PETERS. Phnwuhographar. wnninglan. D. C.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

L. P. GOBEN.

MECHANICAL MOVEMENT.

No.379199. Patented Mar, 6, 1888.

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`UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEVI F. GOBEN, OF SPRING HILL, MISSOURI.

MECHANICAL MOVEMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 379,199, dated March 6,1888.

Application tiled June 11, 1887. Serial No. 241,053.

To @ZZ whom it' may concern:

Be it known that I, LEvI F. GOBEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Spring Hill, in the county of Livingston and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mechanical Movements, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to that class of niechanical movements for converting reciprocating motion into rotary motion, which is commonly classied under the headof rack and pinion.

Figure lis a side elevation, partly in section, of my invention. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on line :v m, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line y y, Fig. l, looking in the direction of the arrow l, Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a vertical section on the line z z, Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrow 2 on that ligure. Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are details.

j A B C represent the frame upon which the operative parts are mounted.

D is a shaft mounted and rotated in suitable bearings on the main frame; and having squared sections d d. By preference I form the shaft witha round section, a, between the squared sections, andinterposeastop or flange, b, between this round section and the square sections, forapurpose which will be explained.

D is a balance-wheel or drive-wheel, of any approved sort, applied to the shaft.

E E are toothed wheels or pinions, preferably ratchet-wheels, with their teeth formed upon their edges and facing in opposite directions. These wheels have each an elongated hub with a square opening fitting closely one of the square sections of the shaft, so that the wheels must turn with the shaft, but are free to slide endwise thereon. The adjacent faces of these wheels are recessed or chambered to receive the anges b b, so that when one of the wheels is moved up into contact with one of the flanges said liange is substantially flush with the inner face of the wheel. Each hub e is circumferentially grooved,vas at e', to receive the upper end of a fork supported on a carriage, which by preference I construct and mount as follows:

(No model.)

F F are sleeves fitted to and sliding freely upon a horizontal bar, C, of the frame.

G G are vertical standards, each bifurcated at its upper end, forming a fork, g, engaging with one of the grooved hubs e. Each standard is attached to and travels with one of the sleeves, the lower ends of the standards being tied together and braced by a short girt, f, the above parts constituting a movable shipper-carriage.

Instead of using two sleeves, I may use a single one, arranged between the standards or uprights G G.

H is a shipping-lever pivoted at one end to an arm or bracket, h, projecting from the main frame.

I is a notched locking-plate projecting from the opposite side of the frame, to receive and hold in position the swinging end of the lever.

ii i2 are notches therein for locking the ship- 7o ping-lever. Y

h is a link connecting the lever with the shipper-carriage.

J J are springguides attached at their outer ends to the sleeves FF. Their inner ends pro- 75 ject past the standards G G, which are slotted to receive them, and into about the vert-ical planes of the pinions.

K K are guides attached to and projecting downward from the upper horizontal bar, B, of the frame. These guides,as shown, consist of two legs, arranged in a plane at right angles to the axis of the shaft D, the distance between these guides being about the same as the distance between the pinions. 83

-L represents generally a forked or slotted rack-carrier, connected at one end to the piston-rod of an engine, of which the cylinder L is partially shown. Of course some other motor may be used instead of an engine.

m m an are the racks formed with or attached to and traveling with the carrier. The teeth ofthe rack m point in adirection the reverse of the teeth upon the rack m on the same side of the rack-carrier, as indicated in Fig. 3. The teeth upon the racks n n point in directions exactly the reverse of those upon the racks m m,respectively,as shown in Fig. 4.

|The vertical distance between the two pairs of racks m u m n is greater than the eXtreme rco diameter of the pinions, in order to facilitate the np-and-down movement of these racks, for a purpose to be explained, and `the distance between the pinions is greater than the extreme width on a horizontal line of either of the pairs of racks. This separation of the racks necessitates the employment of mechanism for imparting to them a rising-and-falling movement, as contradistinguished from a side-v wise movement, such as could be used in case the racks were separated by a distance equal only to about the diameter of the ratchetwheel and were vibrated sidewise to engage alternately with teeth formed upon the sides of said wheels.

M N are track-pieces arranged below the racks and in planes parallel therewith, being connected with the rack carrier preferably by a relatively-thin web, n2. The ends of these track-pieces are beveled or inclined in opposite directions to facilitate their traversing alternately the upper and lower lfaces of the spring-guides J J.

The throatway L2 of the carrier is throughout its main portion of such width as to allow the carrier to be moved up and down sufficiently to bring the racks into engagement with the pinions. It is provided with a cam guide or projection, Z, at the end, which acts to elevate the rack-carrier sufficiently to insure that the track-pieces shall properly engage with the springs J J. There may be also a projection, l', at the opposite end of the throat, if found necessary.

This machine may be operated as follows: Suppose it be desired to drive the shaft and wheel continuously in the direction indicated by arrow 3, Fig. 3. I place the shipping-lever in the position indicated in Figs. 1 and 2. Now, supposing the rack-carrier to be moving in the direction indicated by arrow 4, same gure, it is evident that the engagement of rack m with pinion E will produce the desired rotation of the shaft. Just before the rackcarrier completes its movement in this direction the engagement of the cam-piece Z with the axle elevates the rack m out of engagement with the pinion, thus permitting the engine to pass its dead-center and the rack-carrier to commence its motion in an opposite direction without interfering with the rotation ofthe shaft. (See Fig. 6.) As will beseen in Fig. 3, the engagement of the spring-guide J with the upper face of the track-piece M holds the rack m firmly in engagement with t-he pinion. Soon after the track carrier commences its return movement the beveled under surface of the track-piece rides upon the track -gnide J and thrusts the rack minto engagement with the under side of the pinion E, (see Fig. 7,) so that the thrust of the engine insures a continuous rotation of the shaft in the direction indicated by arrow 8. Shortly before the carrier has completed such return movement the cam projection Z rides upon the shaft, th us supporting the racks out of engage` ment with the pinion after the track-piece has left the spring-guide. -Very soon after the piston commences its return the beveled upper surface of the track piece runs below the spring-guide, so that all the parts assume substantially the relations in which they are shown in Figs. land 5. Vhen itis desired to drive the shaft and wheel D in the reverse direction, the lever is shifted from the notch into the notch z', thus moving pinion E out of the plane of the racks m m' and shifting the pinion E into the plane of racks n n, which operate in connection with that pinion in substantially the manner described with reference tov racks m in in connection with pinion E. The same shifting of the lever and pinions also withdraws the spring-guide J from the plane of track-piece M and moves the spring-guide J' into the plane of the traclrpiece N,wliereby such spring-guide J is made to perform substantially the same function as that ascribed to the other spring-guide, J.

Vhen it is desired to lock both pinions ont of engagement with the racks, the lever is placed in the intermediate notch, i', which holds both pinions out of the planes of their respective pairs of racks, so that the reciprocation of the engine and rack-carrier may continue without rotating the shaft.

It will be understood that the guides K K serve to support the rack-carrier and racks against lateral displacement; but, when preferred, these guides may be provided with antifriction wheels k k, to provide against undue friction between the parts.

I have herein referred to the fact that the teeth on the racks, and also those on the pinions, are of the nature of ratchet-teeth-that is to say, teeth which are inclined to the path of their movement, in contradistinction to spur-cogs which are perpendicular to the path of their movement. I attain several advantages by nsingratchet-teeth, among which are these: that l get a powerful engagement of the rack with the pinion when the parts are moved properly, and also that in case there should be a sudden changing of direction of motion of either ofthe engaging parts the rack-teeth can readily escape from the pinionteeth,thespring J (or J) allowing sufficient movement of the rack for this purpose.

It will be readily understood by those acquainted with mechanical movements of this sort that in order to convert the reciprocating motion of the part L into the rotary motion of the shaft it is not essential that there should be an engagement between said part L and the shaft during the backward movement of the part L as well as during the forward, for the shaft can be rotated if the reciprocating part engages with it during only one of its movements. Hence although I prefer the construction shown, yet some of the advantages of the present construction can be preserved if the sliding pinions are used in conjunction with the upper racks, m n., without the lower ones, or vice versa.

Of course many modifications in details of IOO IIO

structure will suggest themselves to an ordinary skilled mechanic without differing from the spirit of my invention, the construction and arrangement shown being the best now known to me for the successful carrying out of my improvement.

What I claim isl. The combination, with the shaft, of the two pinions movable thereon, the two pairs of rising-and-falling racks, and cam-guide for raising and lowering the racks into and out of engagement with the pinions, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with the shaft, of the pinions movable thereon, the two pairs of racks, and yielding guides for holding the racks into engagement with the pinions by pressure, substantially as set forth.

3. rlhe combination, with the shaft, of the pinions movable thereon, the two pairs of rising-and-falling racks, and shifting-lever and locking-plate for holding the pinions out of the planes of both pairs of racks, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination of the shaft, the pinions movable thereon, and the racks provided with the cam projections adapted to engage with and be supported by the shaft, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination, with the shaft and the two laterally-movable pinions, of the single carrier having the racks arranged in two pairs, the racks of each pair having the points of the upper line 'of teeth far enough from the points of the lower line of teeth to permit one of the ratchet-wheels to engage with the teeth of one line, and in the same plane with the other line, but out of contact therewith, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination, with the shaft, of the pinions movable on the shaft longitudinally, the shipping devices connecting the pinions together, and the sleeves F F, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination, with the shaft and the pinion having ratchet-faced teeth, (in contradistinction to spur-cogs,) of the rising-and-falling racks lying on opposite sides of the shaft, and each having ratchet-teeth, the teeth of one projecting in directions opposite to those of the other, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

8. The combination, with the shaft, of the two pinions on the shaft having ratchet-teeth, (in contradistinction to spur-cogs,) the teeth of one Wheel projecting in directions opposite to those of the teeth of the other, and the reciprocating carrier having racks adapted to engage alternatelywith thesaid pinions, the said racks having teeth projecting in two directions opposite to each other to correspond to the ratchet-teeth of the pinions, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LEVI F. GOBEN.

Witnesses:

J AMEs LEEPER, G. T. SAILoR. 

